The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 168 -
The announcement of the suffering. The disciples and the blind man along the road to Jericho.
When we were now about 100 paces away from the village, and our known Jewish Greeks and the few disciples of John who became rather tired because of the day trip, were lagging a little behind because they could not keep up with our fast pace, I called the 12 to Me, and they asked Me what was going on.
2
I said to them: "Listen to Me and do not be sad, for everything that the prophets had prophesied about Me must indeed be fulfilled to Me.
3
As we are walking here together, we will soon travel back to Jerusalem, and then everything will be fulfilled that, as already said, the prophets have written about the Son of Man. He will be handed over to the gentiles and He will be mocked, despised and be spat on, and they will flog and kill Him, but on the 3rd day He will rise again out of His own power, and then He will be forever with you until the end of the world and its time, and you will eternally be with Him in His Kingdom."
4
When I had said that to the disciples they looked at each other greatly surprised and asked one another: "What did He want to say now again with that? First there was said that the temple servants will grab Him and that He will let them fill the measure of their sins to Himself to their own ruin. But now He said nothing about the temple servants, but rather about the gentiles who were until now, as far as we know, still His best and most believing friends. He who can and will, let him understand it, but truly, we really cannot understand this."
5
Then they deliberated among each other if they had to ask Me for a further explanation about this.
6
Peter however, thought that I might take it wrongly, and so that it would be more advisable for the moment to leave this matter alone, which in itself, the way I had spoken it out, was very unclear and sad.
7
Since the disciples did not want to ask Me anything further about it, I also said nothing more about this matter.
8
Then we continued our way and came to the place where 2 main roads crossed each other. Although our old road, on which we came from Jerusalem, led also to Jerusalem, but this one went continuously in big curves over mountains and valleys. The new road however, that crossed the old one, led along Bethlehem also to Jerusalem, but was more flat and better constructed and was more traveled on by strangers and also by the residents. For this reason, along this road here near the villages, many beggars asked the travelers always for alms.
9
So on the mentioned spot we walked on the new road as if we wanted to travel to Jerusalem again, which however was not the case, but the village that we wanted to visit was along that new road. And not far from that place we met a beggar who was blind. This one and still many other beggars traveled on feast days with their seeing guides to Jerusalem in order to beg a larger amount of money there. So this beggar was also present on the last feast in Jerusalem, and there he heard that I had performed great signs and made blind people seeing again, and he knew also My name.
10
The beggar asked first aloud for alms to the disciples - of whom some were hurrying in order to reach the city while it was still clear - and when they said to him that they had no money on them, he asked them who they were and who else were with them, and what they, who were poor themselves, were hoping to find in this meager environment, for there were already so many beggars.
11
Then they (the disciples) said: "We are disciples of the Lord Jesus from Nazareth, who travels with us, so that also this region would be blessed by Him. Therefore, we do not need any money, for He, the Lord Jesus from Nazareth, takes care of us."
12
When the blind beggar heard that from the disciples who waited for awhile here, so that I and also all the other disciples could join them - which we also soon did - the beggar asked again what was happening and if I also was present with them, for he noticed that there were many people close to him.
13
The disciples acknowledged the question of the beggar, and immediately he began to shout and said with a loud voice (the beggar): "O Jesus from Nazareth, son of David - as they have said in Jerusalem and which I also believe - have mercy on me!"
14
But the disciples, who went ahead, warned him and said that he should not shout so loudly, but that he should be quiet because it would make a too great sensation at the obviously big place.
15
But the beggar did not take notice of that and shouted even louder: "O Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!"
16
So I stood still and commanded the seeing guide to bring the blind one to Me, which happened immediately.
17
When he was brought close to Me, I said to him: "What do you actually want Me to do for you?"
18
Then the blind one said: "Lord, that I may see."
19
Then I said to him: "Then be seeing. Your faith has helped you."